Skeleton Crew is currently broken in a way that makes it hard to recommend. The game that it wants to be is excellent, with nicely chaotic combat, intricate nonlinear levels filled with secrets, plenty of areas to explore and fight through, and fantastically-clever challenges. The large number of characters with different play-styles let you switch up the approach to the levels, and when everything’s working as it should the areas are a huge amount of fun to perfect a run through. Toss in some excellent high-resolution 2D art and Skeleton Crew looks and plays like what we dreamed the future would be back in the Genesis/SNES days. At the moment it’s just not where it needs to be, but if it’s got anything like a decent patch schedule, then it’s one to keep an eye on.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince forgoes complexity in favor of creating an accessible and enjoyable gaming experience. The basic story and one dimensional NPCs could be a turn off for those looking for a story-rich RPG, as those seeking a grand story with a complex battle system won’t find them here. Capturing and synthesizing new monsters, however, is a simple pleasure that can easily generate dozens of hours worth of enjoyment from this title. Fans of Dragon Quest IV will likely be sold on seeing an origin story for Psaro and revisiting the world of Dragon Quest IV from an alternative perspective. As a fan of Dragon Quest it was easy to overlook the shortcomings and just enjoy monster wrangling, but those less invested in Dragon Quest may be less forgiving with the basic plot and simple gameplay.

Those looking for a narrative video game with distinctly slick presentation will no doubt look at Knee Deep, Act 1: Wonderland with excitement. It does not quite live up to expectations, but then again, this is just the start of a larger series.

It’s exciting to think of what Pokémon GO could become and if you haven’t downloaded it already, do it. It’s free, there are no ads and even people who don’t know what Pokémon are have been having a good time with it.

While the writing is a little generic and the voice acting isn’t perfect, Eden Genesis still has a considerable amount of charm. Some voice acting is much better than the rest, so most characters' voices will be hit or miss. It's still fun to see the story unfold, but during some periods of the game, the writing can start to be a drag or might just not click for you. Eden Genesis is still a fun game to play and the gameplay loop is top-notch. The trials we are given to complete start easy, but grow into legitimate challenges that will take many tries when you're looking to get the best rank possible.

Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson is completely aware of what a silly bit of video game fluff it is, and more than happy to own every bit of its exuberant excesses.

While some of its aspects when it comes to controlling things could use a bit more polish, the simple-yet-challenging gameplay can easily captivate you, finding yourself in for a meaty round of quick matches.

It doesn’t seem fair to say Culdcept SAGA is bad, because it’s not. Still, it’s missing too many obvious features to really pass muster as well-designed software.

Despite its brevity ultimately doing some notable harm to it, Rise & Shine is still ultimately a solid platformer for the most part, one that has a lot of cute callbacks to classic video games while still having its own unique charm, along with some impressive graphics and nifty ideas sprinkled throughout. The action gets nice and intense, and save for the end, puts up a meaty yet fair challenge. So while it isn’t exactly the greatest at skewering gaming culture while also honoring it, it’s still an overall good game.

Subdued visuals, a mysterious storyline with strange characters and nearly ten endings make Train of Afterlife a commendable visual novel effort.

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood doesn’t break any new ground, and should have had the option of using the Kinect for the drawing mechanic, but still delivers. It has rough edges, but overcomes most of them because the platforming is done well.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 has plenty of technical frustrations, but at least it remains true to the classics.

While it lacks the same emotional presentation of games like Journey, or the same consistently compelling narrative of games like Gone Home or The Stanley Parable, Dear Esther’s exceptional writing and soundtrack help the title overcome these flaws, providing a worthwhile journey for those willing to take it.

A great title for kids. Many of the plain jokes and goblin humor is not lost on the younger crowd.

It’s fun and challenging enough to keep Pokémon and puzzle fans entertained.

To this date there has never been a football sim that has handled gameplay the way PES 2017 does. The gameplay, however, isn’t enough alone to save PES from feeling a bit outdated at times. If you’re willing to overlook the lack of official licensing and entry level mode diversity, then the act of playing football in PES 2017 can’t be matched.

While the game invokes memories with those who grew up playing the Neversoft games, the content is a bit skimpy and the gameplay behind its time.

The collection provides around forty hours of gameplay to complete and does a good job of scratching the nostalgia itch. This collection is a fine example of how games were enjoyable with limited technology and rather simple gameplay, but the limitations are even more apparent now and makes the player appreciate how far modern games have come with storytelling and clearly laying out objectives. But even with all the limitations of the time aside, which can sometimes make the games frustrating, this is a nice collection to take a trip down memory line or discover the origins of SaGa.

Ultimately, Bladestorm may not be Omega Force’s finest hour, but it’s a good one just the same.

Whirlight: No Time to Trip is point-and-click that oozes passion and charm in its world, characters, narrative and gameplay. Its main issue is that it falls for the biggest and most common trapping of its genre: the ingenuity of its interactions come at the cost of some solutions being less intuitive than would be ideal. The result is a game that can be just as frustrating as it is whimsical.

Brimming with so many highs, but also plenty of regrettable lows, Redout 2 is fast, frantic and fantastic at points, but frustratingly flawed enough to warrant caution in its current state.

Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl is tons of fun for fans of 8-bit brawlers. This is a great freebie for people who backed Chronic Blunt Punch, and for those who didn’t it’s easy to get your money’s worth from the cost of admission. As an NES beat ’em up rated E10, it’s a short title with simple gameplay and the tone is more in tune with the short-lived Clerks animated series than how Jay and Silent Bob are portrayed in Smith’s films. But that may have also been intentional since the NES did have puritan content standards that would have never allowed Jay’s rap to exist in glorious 8-bit chiptune. Either way, Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl is a fun title that retro gamers and Kevin Smith fans can enjoy while they wait for Chronic Blunt Punch or his next film.

While a stronger story and better release period would have benefited Shu’s impact on the consumers of the gaming industry, Shu’s consistently solid gameplay make this platformer one that’s sure to satisfy fans of the genre as well as parents looking for a more kid-friendly title.

While it can make for an enjoyable title for younger players who can easily grab some friends and compete in short spans of time, Mario Party: The Top 100 doesn’t have quite enough to keep players coming back to it in the way any other main line entry has been able to over all these years.

Regardless, if you’re a fan of old school RPGs and have a couple bucks (and hours) to spare, Rainbow Moon is still an investment that should be sought out.

The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle is a welcome addition to the long-running MMO. The gameplay remains familiar enough so regular Elder Scrolls Online players won’t be in for any unpleasant surprises and the world building and storytelling makes High Isle a worthwhile visit. The story feels more grounded in reality than some of the other chapters while the characters and dialogue make this a fantastic chapter. The new content is a great addition to the massive MMO and in reality this new chapter should be given a higher score. Unfortunately, in the current state where bugs prevent quests from being completed, point deductions are in order. High Isle has potential to be a grand adventure, but until some of these quest-breaking bugs are addressed, it’s recommended to proceed with caution.

Modern Warfare 2’s bombastic campaign remains as fun to play as it was in 2009 thanks to excellent gameplay and well-designed arenas. An impressive visual overhaul rounds out the remaster experience, bringing the game more in line with titles from this generation. It’s short with little to do after the credits roll, but the lower price and the quality of the campaign experience help alleviate some of that concern. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered may not be the full experience, but it solidly delivers an updated take on one of the better campaigns in the series.

Paradox Interactive have managed to release a grand strategy game that actually feels not so overwhelmingly complex as to scare off newcomers.